A/N:This is a little silly fluff I wrote for agent rouka over in LJ a while back... she's lettin' me share.

Prompt: Mal and creative uses for Protein for agent_rouka

Rating: G

Of Preachers and Protein

By 2x2

Mal closed his eyes, pleasantly content, Inara curled beside him on his narrow bunk. He was half deciding that sleep might be a good idea when Inara’s voice pulled him back to wakefulness.

“Tell me a story, Mal,” she whispered, tracing patterns on his chest with her fingers. Smiling, he pulled her closer, pillowing her head on his shoulder and pressing a kiss to her crown.

“What kind of story?” he asked dreamily.

“Something from when you were a boy, on Shadow,” she said, her fingers resuming their journey across his skin. It was a sensitive subject, she knew. He didn’t speak about his past, and the crew didn’t ask. But she was determined to learn more about him and she thought this might be a safe way for him to start opening up. She felt him draw in a deep breath, her hand rising and falling with his chest, and she waited silently on his reaction.

“Ain’t much to say, really,” he answered at last.

“You must have some tales of mischief and mayhem, Mal,” she pushed since he hadn’t outright refused to talk. He opened his eyes.

“Me?” he said, full of innocence and mock indignation. Inara grinned and pushed herself up on her elbows, staring down at him fondly.

“Yes, *you*. I’ve no doubt you were quite the handful back then. Now tell,” she commanded playfully. He smirked and tugged her back into his arms.

“Conjure I’ll leave it to you to decide how much of a handful I am now,” he said against her ear and she rolled her eyes, her lips twitching into a smile at his expected double entendre even as she shivered at his contact.

“Later. Right now you were about to tell me a story,” she said.

“Oh, issat what I was doin’?” he said, nibbling at her ear. As pleasing as it was, she wasn’t about to be so easily distracted.

“Talk,” she said, grabbing his face firmly between